Contrast
by Cryssy-miu
Summary: White and N find each other after two years, and N decides to invite her to stay at what remains of his castle with him. From new friends, to meteor showers and heart breaking times, they build an endearing train-wreck of a relationship that's sure to last a life time. R&R Chapter five: Broken - N's past returns to haunt him in a very disturbing way.
1. When I Find You

_He would say thank you..._

* * *

Could it really be true? She had been waiting two years for this moment, if it was to come. If it didn't happen she was quite certain what was left of her heart would break. She stood in the shadows of the cave, directly in front of the entrance to N's castle.

White had kept herself plenty busy over the course of these two years. Her and her beloved pokemon, her family, had faced many new battles, adventures, and found many new friends. Some of those new friends were tucked away, happily, inside their pokeballs.

Fuu, her Samurott, cooed at her side and nuzzled its face against the back of her shoulder in reassurance. All of her pokemon were supportive and understood what she was going through, but no pokemon knew her better than Fuu did. He had been with her since she first met him after all.

"Alright, guys," White told her pokemon, "If this is for real I want you all to be nice to N, and if it's not for real, well...then I want you all to take turns consoling me as I cry, okay?"

Her pokemon exchanged looks and nodded in awkward agreement as they followed White down the damaged stairs.

The castle was not as she remembered it. Age and battle had certainly taken its toll on the once beautiful structure. Pillars were chipped and the floor no longer had its gorgeous finish; instead, it was covered in cracks and holes. The castle itself seemed dim and no longer inviting. That wasn't what White was worried about though.

Cautiously, greatly nervous, the young trainer approached a very familiar looking room, and entered it. Instantly, White was met with the same ominous chill as last time when she had approached N's playroom. She remembered how haunted she felt by its pure, but frightening innocence, and knowing that for his entire life, that's all N had seen. The room itself wasn't entirely different other than a few carelessly knocked over toys. It still held that eerie atmosphere, but no N.

White wasn't deterred. She had only searched two rooms so far, and there were more floors. Hurriedly, keeping her hopes up high, she rushed out with her pokemon, and into the dark hall. "N! N, are you here?" Nothing greeted her in return.

Despite trying to fight it, White felt her hopes diminishing and her heart breaking as she continued her search. Her running shoes against the cool granite were the only sounds heard echoing through the vast halls as she raced through thme, and into the throne room.

The first thing that stood out was the big, gaping hole in the back of the wall from where N had jumped out of. The rest of the throne room was in as bad of a condition as the rest of the castle. White shut her eyes and felt the hot tears behind her eyelids.

She walked silently down the castle steps, her body halfway off the broken banister in despair. Her pokemon followed and gazed at her with pity and sadness, but they didn't know what to do.

White was at the entrance of the castle now, and her back was turned to her precious team behind her. Through her tears, a sad and grim smile graced her lips. "I did it again, didn't I? I got my hopes up again. I always do this." Her body shook with emotion. "I always fool myself into thinking I might see him again."

Her pokemon cooed mournfully and got ready to fulfil their cuddling request from before, but White gently pushed them away.

"Not now, guys. I know what I asked, but I'm just not in the mood right now." She started up the steps, and barely reached the door when the voice spoke.

"White?"

White's breath hitched in her throat, and her heart came to a stop right there. His voice played consistently in her head, but she quickly realized it was actually him speaking.

"White, is that you?"

Slowly, White turned to him. There he was; it was unmistakable. That childish face beyond the shock, still in the same flannel shirt and brown pants. His tea-green hair flowed over his shoulders, slightly longer, White realized.

"N?" she whispered back. Slowly her feet began moving toward him, and his to her. They ran straight at each other, and stopped only inches away.

The adorable, blinking look on N's face deepened more in shock when he realized it was her. He gawked for a few moments, causing White to giggle. "White..." The two smiled at each other and spoke with their expressions, until N finally, softly whispered:

"Thank you."

* * *

_(Playing Pokemon Black 2 has inspired some White/N stuff, and plus, I need to get my mind off this wisdom tooth infection. This was going to be a oneshot, as it worked well like that, but I think I'll make it a two-shot. c:)_


	2. Invite

"When I heard you came back I couldn't believe it!" White exclaimed as they walked side by side. "I was in Kanto at the time, so it took a long time to get back here. I heard that your fath..." At the flash of pain on his face she corrected herself. "Ghetsis was at it again with Plasma, and another hero saved you guys this time."

"Yes..." N muttered. "She reminded me of you, a lot. Every time I looked at her, it felt like I was looking at you." He turned to her and her heart went aflutter as he brushed back one of her bangs. "She had the same ideals as you, and a powerful dream for her and her pokemon. She didn't see me as a monster, just like you were the only one who didn't."

He saw her soft smile of affection seemed to be changing a little, and N got worried. He thought that would make her happy. Why did her expression change? Thinking back, he remembered seeing the same type of expression on his pokemon's face if he pet one more than the other. "O-oh, but...she could never replace you as the true hero."

He may have done something right as she sighed, smiled waywardly and squeezed his shoulders. He took that to be a gesture of affection and playfulness. The two entered another room, and White felt her breath hitch as he shyly gripped her hand.

"I spend a lot of time in here," N said. "I like just sitting down and thinking about things."

White hadn't been in this room before. Actually, she probably had in the past, but N had done enough renovations to make the place look extremely different, and livable. Looking at it closer she remembered it to be one of the rooms she found the Plasma Grunts in, and where she had met N's caretakers. It had a large table in the middle, a worn out cabinet, and a cot in the corner of the room.

"This is where you live?" White was baffled. He had crammed a bedroom and a kitchen into one. Of course, N was always different, and there were reasons for that. "It seems so cramped."

"It's fine for me," N said quietly. "I'm not picky about where to stay. As long as my pokemon are happy."

So typical of N. His concern for his pokemon over his own well-being was both admirable, concerning, and something she had missed about him. Despite this, she was worried about him. It seemed even after two years he was still a social recluse. Of course, she needed to think about his former reputation. Not many people knew who he was, but the ones that did, well...they didn't think too fondly of him.

"Well, I think there's some friends of mine that missed you." White smiled and gestured over to her pokemon. A few of which N remembered, and a few that were new, but still eager to meet a new friend.

N chuckled as White's pokemon climbed all over him—the small ones. The big ones tried, but White shoved them away and told them that crushing him wasn't the best idea. N had his arms full of nuzzling, cuddling pokemon anyway.

From over the armful of fluff, scales, and feathers, N glanced up at the blinking and curious eyes of an Altaria and a Scrafty. "Oh, you have new ones. You always told me the team you had then was the team you'd keep until the day you die."

"Yes, I know," White sighed, "but things change. During one of our escapades, I noticed Sprinkles was becoming depressed and had no desire to fight. I realized she wanted to be with her own kind, so I let her go." She shut her eyes, and N was alarmed to see tears brimming at her lids. "Phan-Phan...grew sick. We were far from a Pokemon Center and lost in a forest. The potions I had sufficed for a while, but by the time we reached the Center it was too late for him."

N could feel his heart throb. The death of any pokemon cut him deep. The death of a pokemon he knew well cut even deeper. All of White's pokemon seemed slightly suspicious of him when he and White were rivals, but young little Phan-Phan was the one that just loved everyone. He remembered the little Emolga clinging itself to his chest every time he met up with it.

"I'm sorry..." N murmured. His voice cracked slightly in emotion, but he bit back his own tears. "I know you took great care of your pokemon. My heart always warmed when I saw the way you treated them, and how they loved you. Seeing you and your pokemon together always gave me hope that other trainers were like that."

White smiled gently at him. "And I hope you know that there are many others."

"I do..." It was now that White was able to clearly see the change in N, just by looking at his face. Those eyes that were once locked of all emotion but pain were now luminous, warm, and sparkling. She could see how cleansed his heart was now. She could tell he was happy.

N turned to White's new pokemon and smiled warmly. They seemed nervous of him up until he began gently petting their backs and scratching behind their ears. "Hello, my friends," N greeted warmly. "Thank you for looking after White and helping her in her journey." He blinked in confusion as he listened to the Scrafty's response, and then turned to White. "Scrafty says he likes his funny name? What did you name him?"

"Trousers." She blinked as he started to laugh. "What? It's a lizard with pants!" That was half the reason she wanted to catch him in the first place. How many pokemon came with their own clothes?

"Nicknaming pokemon is always a unique way to bond with them, I've always thought," N said. "Ghetsis always told me that nicknaming pokemon was what trainers did to try and trick their pokemon and make them feel secure, even though they'd make them their slaves." He shook his head, remembering his old mindset. "I've never nicknamed my pokemon."

White always felt uncomfortable when N mentioned anything about how his life used to be. She could tell he was haunted a lot from the past and remembering it brought back a lot of pain. Of course, as a friend, White would listen whenever he wanted to get something off his chest.

To her relief, he changed the subject. "Where are you headed now?" White could see even though his expression was nonchalant, his eyes were sad at the notion she'd leave soon. She was the only human that cared about him...

The brunette smiled gently and decided to surprise him. "Honestly N, I don't have a set place in mind right now. I mean, my pokemon and I have been traveling straight for almost two years; most of the time spent trying to find you. We've seen all we want to see right now, and we're looking to settle somewhere for a bit."

N perked up there. He turned to the girl, and White could see the eager sparkle in his eyes. "Why not stay here?" She whipped around to stare at him. "I think there's an extra bed still here, and there's food for you and your pokemon. You don't have to stay very long..." He didn't want to admit to himself or her that he didn't want her to go.

White hesitated. Two years ago, had he asked this it would probably be a no. The fact was the two of them were rivals and enemies for a while, however much they wished they could have a friendship. But in these years, although White traveled everywhere to see the world, the secret that only she and close friends knew was that it was mostly to find N. Now that she had found him, she didn't want to leave either.

"Living in a castle?" White grinned. "Why, it's every girl's dream!" Despite how run down and damaged it was, it was an ideal place since it was close to Victory Road, where White could train her pokemon, and with the League just next door for medical supplies.

"You'll stay?" N rushed out excitedly.

White grinned, her sparkling eyes sharing his happiness. "Yeah. I'll stay."

* * *

_(So much for this being a two shot... It is now a collection of drabbles that will vary in length depending on how much material I have for it. The fic's name and description will be changed too, once this is updating. So read and review. c: The next drabble is "pajamas"_

_By the way, those pokemon are all MY pokemon, and if any of you read my fic "Of Peace And Tranquility" you will recognize a few.)  
_


	3. New Pyjamas

Two years ago, when White and N went separate ways, White would have killed to spend a little more time with N and get to know the peculiar boy some more. Now, she wasn't so sure. At all.

N wasn't the best roommate to have, White learned to her dismay. His years of being recluse from all human contact had led him to be very closed up and distant. It seemed like a switch had been flicked; the happy moment after their reunion, he regressed. White could hardly coax out any conversation from him.

At this rate, Ghetsis was looking to be a better roommate then this unsociable mouse.

White's eyes burned from another night of nearly no sleep, and her face itched with sweat and fur particles from having her pokemon sleep with her in the same bed. Normally firm and assertive, she tended to be very passive when her pokemon wanted to sleep with her. She glanced outside, through the sea of fur and feathers. It didn't look to be anymore than six in the morning. Again, that was no different.

This castle barely seemed livable, although enough to please N. Of course, after all these years, anything that's not one single, never-changing room would please N. Her bed was giving her back deformities, she was sure of it, but she was far too shy to admit it to N. She didn't want to seem like a burden.

Yawning, White stretched her aching muscles and tip-toed out of the bedroom anyway. She was dizzy from fatigue, but she ignored it. It wasn't like she'd be able to sleep well on a worn mattress with pokemon bulging from it.

_I wonder if N is up yet._ She always pictured him to be an early riser. He was a former king after all, and royals were normally up at the crack of dawn.

Her feet felt cold as they glided over the porcelain and through the halls. Cautiously, she peered into N's room(kitchen). He was still sleeping. White gave a soft giggle at the tufts of black and red sticking up beside N. So she wasn't the only one that slept with her pokemon...

Despite how rude she knew it was, White couldn't help but come into the room. She stood by the former King's bed and peered down. N looked so young and innocent when he slept. His tea-green hair was ruffled and unkempt, and White quickly realized his sleep wear looked as if it was ten years old.

_Doesn't he have any other pyjamas? It looks as if they went through a blender!_

White continued to stare intently at the sleeping N, and she didn't realize at first that he was no longer asleep. In fact, he was just laying there, blinking up at her.

He blinked.

She blinked.

"...KYAA!" Mortified, the girl stumbled, and her head almost went cracking to the floor. A pair of claws caught her in an instant. Hovering mere inches above the ground and being held up by the Zoroark, White flushed and muttered and embarrassed thank you as the dark pokemon roughly shoved her towards N with a glare.

"White, are you alright?" N asked. White froze when she realized N was the one holding her up now. Her mouth moved, but all that could really be heard was unintelligible babbling.

_I think she was spying on you, N._ Zoroark was the only one of N's pokemon that didn't refer to him as 'my lord.' White flinched under the pokemon's glare.

"Let her be, Zoroark," N frowned. "I think she's shaken right now." He looked down at his tattered clothes and hastily pulled on an old robe.

"N..." White hesitated; she didn't want to offend him. "N, don't you have any other pyjamas? Those have holes everywhere! They can't be very comfortable. You must be cold at night."

"I am," the teen hesitantly confessed. His pale face flushed pink in embarrassment as he pulled ashamedly at the thin and torn fabric. "I haven't had the chance to buy any new pyjamas, and I, well, have to keep a low profile, as we know." He straightened himself. "If you're hungry, I'll get us some breakfast."

The walk to the kitchen (and by that, meaning the table just about five feet away) was as quiet as usual. White didn't say a word, and obviously neither did N. It baffled White how someone who never used to shut up about pokemon now hardly said a word. And here she thought he was finally happy.

White ingested her cereal in silence. Her pokemon stood at her side and she passed out small bowls for them to feast on. The only sounds were spoons gently clanging into glass bowls and chewing, until Fuu started cooing to N. White glowered at her pokemon as N dropped the poker look and started to chat with the Samorott.

She narrowed her eyes at Fuu._ Oh sure, he talks to you, but Arceus forbid he converses with me._ Inwardly, White cursed herself for her own selfishness. This was N, the boy that grew up with pokemon as a family, the boy that barely saw the outside world, and the boy that didn't know squat about interacting with humans. She needed to be patient and let him come around on his own.

"How did you sleep last night, N?" She had to start somewhere.

"Fine." She wondered if he even realized how cold his voice sounded, and how deep it cut her when he spoke now. Perhaps he did, for he noticed her pained eyes. "I always sleep better when I'm with my friend. Zoroark has curled up beside me since I was four." He smiled—_holy crap, he smiled!-_and looked at White. "He's a little too big for that now."

That was the most words Whits had managed to pull out of him in three days! She felt accomplished, and far less tense as she grinned back cheekily. "Yeah? Try sleeping with a bed-full of pokemon, on a bed that's not even too comfy to begin with." Realizing her mistake, she instantly shut her mouth.

N didn't look offended though, that she could tell. He only nodded and shrugged slightly. "I had a feeling that bed wouldn't be the most comfortable. I'll have to find you a better mattress." He went back to staring down at his cereal, and White realized that the moment of talking – the only one that would probably exist that day – was over.

Near the end of the meal, White noticed N was struggling to keep his pyjama sleeve on. The withered fabric seemed like it was at the end of its life as it fell limply down his arm, and a glaring N gave up and let it fall into the shallow puddle of milk in his cereal bowl.

"You need new pyjamas," White said, as if it wasn't completely obvious.

"I suppose I do," N agreed. "I'll have to cut up some of the old towels and use the sewing skills Concordia taught me to make some new ones." He blinked as the brunette's eyes bulged out. "What?"

"Are you nuts?"

That seemed to confuse him more. Damn him and his inability to understand expressions! "No, we don't have any. I can get you some if you want."

"N!" White exclaimed, exasperated. Didn't he get it? No, of course he didn't. If you wanted to get something through N's head you needed to be literal. "You need actual pyjamas! You need to wear something with real material, like flannel or cotton. We need to go clothes shopping."

He stared at her for a few moments and then shook his head. "Have you forgotten I'm wanted in Unova?"

"No you're _not._ The legal system isn't holding anything against you, it's just some people _may_ not be too fond of seeing you, but we can't use that as an excuse to stay here forever. We'll go crazy!"

N blinked at her, and then his voice grew hostile. "You forget that you're free to leave whenever you wish, if you really do not want to be here. I'm not keeping you as prisoner." Even he was taken aback at the venom in his voice, and he could tell by the hurt look on her face that it had affected her as well. He really was trying, but it baffled him how she chose to stay with someone as terrible as him. He could never be a friend to her...

"I just think it would be good for you to go out in society. We could take a ride on Amane into Castelia to shop for some new clothes and stuff for the castle. I have quite a bit of money saved up."

At last, N gave a nervous smile and shrugged, to White's relief. Perhaps something as little as pyjamas would finally give them something to talk about.

* * *

Castelia was bustling at this time of day. Of course, being that it was the region's favorite city, it was always busy and crawling with people. There was no good time to go for those trying to keep a low profile and remain inconspicuous.

"Put these on," White told N, shoving a pair of sunglasses on his face. Lastly, she pulled a straw hat over his head and tucked his ponytail up into it.

N stared down at himself. His beige pants had been replaced with a pair of blue jeans, and his white shirt with a corduroy sweater with buttons that connected to the overalls. He looked hideous, he found. He glowered when White started softly giggling. "I fail to see what's so ludicrous about this situation."

"Nothing," White laughed, calling Amane back into her ball. The two teens had made sure to land in the darkest part of the alley so Reshiram wouldn't be seen in the city. Reshiram coupled with her and N could be a disaster if people put the pieces together.

"Now let's go."

The teens made their way past a crowd of people, and into the mall. They looked about in wonderment at the size of the vast building. It was truly huge. During her travels to the League, White didn't take much time to shop at cities and towns, so she hardly gave a store in Castelia City so much as a second glance. This was entirely new to the both of them.

N left White's side and took a few steps forward, his mint-green eyes widening in wonderment under the dark glasses. "What a peculiar idea. Instead of just one store, they've combined several of them to take up more space and make it more convenient."

Oh, that's right. He had probably never seen a mall in his life. "Yes, well, let's just stick togeth—N!" Within the span of two seconds he was gone. White looked around frantically and finally saw his form ascending up the escalator in front of her. He was clinging to the railing and looking absolutely petrified.

"Oh jeez!" What was he, a toddler that she couldn't turn her back on? Apparently so. Hurriedly, White climbed the escalator and pulled him up to his feet. "What are you doing?" she scolded. "You'll get lost and I am not _paging_ them to find you!"

His fear settling, N glanced down at the moving stairs and now seemed greatly fascinated. "How clever. Instead of everyone just going up the stairs at once they reduce the work by making them move?" He frowned. "It seems sort of lazy though."

"It's good for people with disabilities," White pointed out. "Now let's get you your pyjamas, and some stuff for the castle."

They walked into the store, and White looked around in bewilderment. This one store seemed like it was a mall in itself! Well, it was one of those stores that was supposed to have _everything. _The two of them walked through the screen door, which immediately screeched and opened itself upon their arrival.

"The clothing department is just down that corner," White pointed out. It took her a while to realize she was talking to herself and the sound of the screeching was still going on. Sure enough, N was still back there, stepping in and out of the door and watching it open and close on its own curiously.

Yanking the older teen to her with a sharp tug, White led him down to the men's clothing department. "They have sleepwear of all kind, and I think we should really look into getting you another outfit as well. Don't worry, I have the money for it." She gave him a shove. "Now get in there!"

N stumbled, nearly into a coat rack, and almost lost his glasses in the process. He shot a glare at White, but she only motioned for him to hurry up and choose something. His eyes roved the racks of clothes in front of him. There were two pieces, one pieces, and clothes that looked like dresses. None were really in his style.

He glanced back at White for her input, but she seemed busy gazing at the woman's rack of clothing. "N, do you think you'll be alright by yourself?" She watched him give an awkward nod. "Alright, I'm going to go pick up some clothes for myself. Now find something, and try to stay in this department, got it?" God, it was like ordering a five year old to stay close to Mommy.

Again, he nodded. White pushed past a clothes rack and disappeared, unaware to how much she was going to regret leaving him alone later.

N didn't like shopping. He had never done it before and he couldn't imagine why people found it so appealing, or why there were so many 'shop-a-holics', as Concordia had called them. The store was big, there were too many people, and the selections had too much to choose from. He couldn't make up his mind.

"Excuse me, madam." He lowered his goofy sunglasses and smiled up at one of the salesclerks. "I'm looking for a new pair of pyjamas and I'm having trouble making up my mind. Would you please show me the selection?"

The woman blushed deeply at his silky smile, but that just made him blink in confusion. Why was it every woman he came in contact with seemed to stutter and go pink in the face? Was his presence invoking an illness on them? The men he met didn't do that. Well...some did.

"Of course, sir, right this way. What were you looking for?"

"New pyjamas," N said simply. The woman laughed and N couldn't figure out what was so funny. He wanted new pyjamas.

She led him to a rack at the back, and N was captivated by the colors the dull clothes in the front didn't seem to have. His eyes sparkled with wonderment as he held the fabric. The woman watched, quirking an eyebrow as the grown man nuzzled happily into the fabric and sighed. "Sir..?"

Pulling back, N pointed to a rack with yellow, flannel pyjamas that had all kinds of pokeballs all over them. "I think I'll have these, please." It was yellow, soft, and warm.

The salesclerk smiled at N and nodded, looking over the pyjamas. "Oh dear. These pyjamas don't look to be in your size."

"Oh." N blinked. "Are you going to shrink them?" The woman started laughing again, and he couldn't understand it. He was being serious!

"I'll be back in a few moments with your size." She left, and N stood there. What was he supposed to do now? He wasn't able to see White over the sea of racks in the woman's department, but he knew she told him to stay close.

His eyes began wandering the store, until they landed on the electric appliances. Instantly, N was captivated by their weird forms, ignored White's order, and hurried over. He ran his fingers over the appliances and gazed at them.

"What is this, sir?" N asked, pointing to a coffee maker. He held up the mug and turned it in his hands. The mug looked like a Magikarp, and the handle was its tail.

The man only snorted over his newspaper and scowled down at N. "It's a coffee maker, what else? Don't you see the filter there?"

Now N was even more confused. "What's a filter?"

The man just stared down at him, unable to believe what he was hearing. "What, are you from Mars?"

Now N seemed to shrink in slightly on himself. He looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed. "No...my bedroom." After giving him another stare, the man snorted and returned to his paper. N stared back, blankly, and then returned to browsing the appliances.

"Such curious inventions," he mused. He reached a finger in through the cages to a fan and lightly spun the blade. "What purposes do these serve?" He looked back over at the rude salesclerk, but the man didn't even glance in his direction. N figured he'd try to decipher the contraption and flicked the switch.

A blast of air slammed him in the face, and he yelped and stumbled out of its firing range. It then blasted into the stack of paper in the stationary aisle, and sent an explosion of white rectangles into the air. The man finally put down his newspaper and hurriedly turned off the fan. The stationary manager yelled words N had heard his father say many times as he shook his fist.

The teen backed up as the salesclerks screamed at him, sensing he should probably leave as soon as possible. He bolted into another aisle, breathing heavily.

"Hello there, young man." N turned as a kinder, and bigger woman greeted him from behind a cart of toys. "Can I do anything for you?"

N gazed up at the woman. "Do you have pokeball covered pyjamas?"

She looked at him funny and laughed. "No sir, not in this department. You're at the toy department, my friend. But, I do have something much better. How would you like a furry, huggable, little friend?"

N's teal eyes lit up in immediate delight at the thought. Was this the woman's way of releasing pokemon? Did she have to get rid of hers and wanted them to go to a better home? Well, whatever it was, he'd be delighted to see another pokemon. "A pokemon?"

"You betcha!" N yelped as a Minun plushie was tossed towards him, and he barely had time to catch it before it hit the floor. The teen gave the little pokemon a friendly squeeze—and promptly felt his insides grow cold. The insides of the pokemon felt very soft; there wasn't a single ridge of bone poking him. Slowly, N turned the Minun over and gazed into the large, button eyes.

"It's not moving," he whimpered.

The woman only laughed some more and gave N a pat on his straw hat "You're hilarious, boy. I like you! 'Course it ain't moving! It's a stuffed pokemon!"

The toy fell from N's hands as he stood there trembling. The woman gazed down at him and frowned. N's face had drained of all color as he shivered there, frozen on the spot. "A-a _**stuffed pokemon?!**__" _With a cry of terror, N bolted there from the spot, and into the bathrobe section.

The woman only turned up her face in confusion. "What a weird little man."

* * *

"N! N, where are you?" White had been calling to him for about ten minutes now, and learned quickly that he was nowhere near the men's wear. Did she really expect him to listen to her though? If she was in a mall for the first time she'd want to do some exploring as well.

"Excuse me sir, have you seen my friend N?" The man behind the counter of appliances only glared at her."He has on overalls, shades, and a straw hat."

At that, the man threw down his paper and laughed bitterly. "The freak who doesn't even know what a fan is? Yeah, I saw him! Did he just crawl out from under a rock or something?"

White wanted to punch this guy. She knew that society wouldn't be able to understand N's inability to comprehend most things, and his complete and utter lack of knowledge for, well...everything. Still, she felt a strange protective urge come over her. She knew how N grew up, and it was not his fault he had the mindset and knowledge of a five year old.

"He is NOT a freak!" she shouted at the man. "You think just because he's different you can call him a freak? So what if he doesn't know what a fan is! Maybe he grew up in a different way than you, jerk!"

The cruel man,unfazed by her rant and scalding glare, only snorted. "Well, the little weirdo went running off into the bath department. I think I saw him hide behind a rack of bathrobes."

Hide? For Arceus sake, did he see a bed sheet and think it was a ghost? Most likely. Rolling her eyes, White pushed back against the counter and walked heavily over to the bath department. Well, it was no big guess as to what rack he was in, judging by the bathrobe quivering right beside her.

Whisking aside the robe, White stared down at him. He looked terrible. He was pale and trembling, and his eyelids appeared frozen open. All in all, he looked traumatized. "What happened to you? Are you alright?" She knelt down next to him.

N stared over at White, and she felt her heart surge with fear when she realized there were tears rimming his eyes. "White, I want to leave this place immediately! This store is horrible! It's barbaric!" He shivered, and White's worry increased. "This cruel, _horrible monster_ of a woman is selling _stuffed pokemon!_"

To his amazement and chagrin, White fell to the ground in hysterics. He glared through his tears. How could she laugh at a time like this?! "White, you horrible girl! How can you possibly find any humor in the sick notion of humans digging out a pokemon's organs and stuffing them with soft, fuzzy material to give to people to cuddle?!"

When the girl could finally breathe through her fits of laughter, she helped N up to his feet. "N...N you adorable, stupid boy, come with me."

The green haired teen let himself be dragged back to the aisle, but made no attempt to walk there himself. He hid his face when the two of them reached the woman, and wouldn't look as White held out the Minun plush to him.

"N, look. See? Its eyes aren't even real. They're buttons!"

If anything, that made him freak out more. "You mean to tell me they replaced the eyes as well?!"

"No!" White laughed. "N, it's fake!"

"...Huh?"

"The pokemon, N. It's fake." She pulled at the 'fur'. "See? It's made of fleece. Plushies are just made for people to have a buddy to cuddle with. They're made for fun. No pokemon was killed to make them..."

Slowly, N took the Minun plush into his trembling hands and looked it over. Finally, his shoulders relaxed and he gave a smile of relief. "O-oh, it is fake." Curiously, he scratched at the fabric with his nail, and ripped a stitch. "How peculiar."

"Hey!" the woman growled. She glared down at White and held her hand out expectantly. "That'll be 500 _yen._"

* * *

"I can't fathom why humans are comforted by this..._plushie_," N said as he looked over his Minun plushie. "I understand the need to cuddle with a pokemon for comfort, but why not turn to the actual thing instead of a cheap imitation of it?"

"If you don't like it then why did you rip it?" White snapped. N shut up and White looked back to see him staring quietly, and rather shamefully up at her.

"Are you angry with me?"

It felt like a giant rock had just hit her heart and White's frown instantly faded. How could she be so stupid? N wasn't like a normal teenager, whom you could just scold and they'd laugh at you. When N was scolded, it always made him feel like he had committed a blasphemy. Beneath the adult exterior and appearance, he was a child.

"No, I'm not mad at you," she said kindly, much like her mother did when she asked that very question long ago. "But I want you to know that I'd never take you to a place I think is inhumane. This mall is talked about often and it's a clean and wholesome, family-place."

"Hey, miss! Do you and your friend want some free samples?"

White exhaled in relief and appreciation. She didn't even realize how hungry she was until she looked at the baking vendor's cart just across from them. Hurrying over, both her and N took a small cup of treats and eyed the contents.

N pulled out a Pikachu shaped cracker and examined it in confusion. "This seems a little odd. To what purpose does this pokemon shaped thing serve?"

"They're pokemon shaped crackers!" the man grinned. "These are our newest flavor, coconut with a cream filling!" And with that, he bit the head off the Pikachu.

And N promptly fainted.

* * *

Between the plushie incident, the pokemon crackers, and then an incident soon after where N had seen a pokemon on a television and accidentally slammed into it, thinking it was real, White made a solemn vow to herself to never take N to the mall again. Currently, she had the teen firmly gripped by the hand, wishing she could leash him. Maybe that's what they'd do next time. White would get him a long leash and would reel him in like a damn fish when he couldn't be trusted to be on his own.

Which was always.

"I think we have almost everything," White said tiredly as she loaded a few bags of stuff onto Amane's's back. N, still holding her hand, looked worriedly at the Reshiram.

"Don't you think we might be putting too much weight on Amane?"

"She's fine." White really didn't care right now. She knew her Reshiram could handle it anyway.

"I really need a new mattress." She sighed and looked up at Amane. "But someone needs to finish loading the shopping bags on Amane. We can't keep her out in the open too long, so one of us needs to go get the mattress." She glared N in the eye. "The mattresses are _right_ by the door. Surely you can handle that, can't you?"

Timidly, the teen nodded.

"Alright, go get me one and be fast." She tried not to make her voice sound too threatening, knowing he had enough of that as a child, but White was fed up. If she had known N's inexperience with interacting with people and the world would lead to _this_ then she would have left him home. Better yet, she would have tied him to a tree so he couldn't break anything or hurt himself while she was gone.

N entered the mall again, and paid no heed to the sliding door that had immensely fascinated him earlier. He had a task to do.

The Queen sized mattress towered over some of the smaller ones. The smaller ones would fit White, but in N's eyes only the Queen sized mattress was good enough for her. He knew she'd appreciate the larger one way more. After all, the limp one she had now could barely fit all of her pokemon as it was.

N threw his arms around the mattress, hugging it tightly to him. Carefully, he maneuvered it from where it was and stumbled back with it. N had never really seen a mattress, unfortunately, and thus, failed to comprehend how heavy they were.

N stumbled back with a yelp from the force of the mattress. It felt as if the weight of a thousand Golems were on him. N felt his foot catch something and suddenly he was on his back and rolling in something, crushed by the mattress.

N could hear the sounds of screams and curses from around him, but he was able to see nothing but the fibers of the bed on top of him. He heard an echoing _crash_ and caught a glimpse of cartons sprawling to the ground. Oh dear. Now he knew what was happening. He had fallen into a shopping cart.

"N!" He could hear White screaming behind him, and he turned his head to see her frightened eyes. He tried to call back, but it was muffled by the mattress pressed against his mouth. White gave a bloodcurdling scream and held her face in horror. Before N could question it (if he was even able to), he came to an abrupt halt and the mattress was roughly yanked off him.

N rubbed his green bangs out of his eyes and blinked up lazily. Towering over him, nearly to the ceiling, was a large, intimidating, and heavy cabinet. The cabinets he had back in his old room were miniature—fit for a toddler. Now he understood why White panicked: he nearly crashed into that thing.

White scrambled over and helped N out of the cart. Dizzy and confused, N blinked as White stood, somewhat protectively in front of him when a man came near. What was she doing? Was there a danger around here? If there was, shouldn't he be the one protecting her?

"You kids are like hurricanes!" the store manager shouted. "You bring disaster everywhere with you! Especially THAT one!" He pointed an accusing finger at the bewildered N. White pushed N behind her some more and glared defiantly at the store manager.

White was beyond exhausted. She couldn't believe she couldn't even trust N to get a mattress. Of course she was probably partially to blame. She never told him to ask for help.

Her grip on his arm was hard, and on the way of being dragged out, N spotted his pyjamas neatly folded on the customer service desk and waiting for him. His hand reached out, threw out some _yen_ and nabbed the clothes as they walked out of the store.

White was exhausted, to say the least. She made her way over to Amane and practically collapsed on the pokemon's back. Amane nuzzled her in concern.

"White?"

Cracking a cyan eye open, White glowered down at the seemingly smaller form of N as he stared up at her with doleful, owlish eyes. "Are you mad at me?"

"Just _shut up_ and get on the pokemon."

* * *

_(Oh wow, this chapter made me laugh the entire time I wrote it, especially N's reaction to the plush pokemon. I imagine the prospect of stuffed pokemon would scare the crap out of him at first with how life-like some of the pokemon plushies look in OUR world. Wow, this chapter was longer than the others. But as I said, lengths will vary._

_And yes, although I do support N/White and believe they could be extremely close, I don't think that would come without many difficulties given how N was raised and his limited knowledge of how to communicate with humans. That's why he was cold in the beginning of the chapter. His behavior will vary like that for a while.  
_

_Up next: "New Friend"; White and N decide to take a little trip in the afternoon, and meet a little friend on the way.  
_


	4. Sorry, it's just an author's note

Ha, sorry to disappoint you all. This ain't a new chapter at all, it's an author's note.

First off, I want to thank you all for the love this drabble collection is already recieving-especially the last chapter. I really appreciate it and squeal every time I see a new review.

Secondly, I want to apologize if the "stuffed pokemon" thing from N's POV scarred you for life. XD Please do not develop a fear of stuffed pokemon; I assure you, they are not cut open and harvested for their organs to be replaced with fluff.

Thirdly, I'm open for suggestions any time. If anyone has a drabble suggestion and I find enough plot for it I'll gladly write it and mention the suggester in the description. This fic could be updated often or it could be collecting dust before I update it again. It all depends on having ideas, time, and the muse to do it.

Fourth, I thought I'd give you all a preview of what's coming up:

_ "New Friend"; White and N decide to take a little trip in the afternoon, and meet a little friend on the way._

_"Broken"; White advises N to take his new friend out on a walk with him for some bonding time. She's completely unaware at the disaster that will follow, that will result in seeing N more broken than she thought was capable._

_"Break The Eggshells"; White is tired of N walking on eggshells around her out of fear he'll get her mad at him for something, so she devises a plan to loosen N up a little._

_"Questions" How do you explain the birds and the bees to a 20 year old when you yourself are eighteen?_

__Also, should I change white's name to Touko or leave it at White? I love the name Touko, but that would mean I'd have to use the Japanese terms for everyone else's names!


	5. New Friends

It was midnight and White wasn't entirely asleep. She had managed to hold her ground against her pokemon and order them out of her bed, but it didn't make much of a difference. She really wished N had waited until _after_ they had got the mattress before getting kicked out of the store.

White shifted around uncomfortably under the blankets. The castle wasn't ventilated and the warmer bedsheets she had bought didn't make much of a difference in the frigid night. White moaned through her sleep, but she refused to beg her pokemon back into bed for some warmth. She was tougher than that.

When White was finally beginning to drift off, she could feel a presence in the room with her. Naturally, it could have been her pokemon, but the presence felt bigger than that. Sure enough, as White's cyan eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw his face as he stood above her.

"White? White, are you awake?"

Whining, the girl sat up against her pillow and gazed up at N. If ever he looked childish before, it didn't compare to right now. With his flannel pyjamas, wall-eyed expression, and even the ripped plush under an arm he looked to be only ten years old. Well, if not for the height.

"Well...yeah," she half-growled. "Yeah, I'm awake." Her scowl faded as she studied his expression. His face seemed drenched—with perspiration, she realized. He was trembling. He looked like he did at the mall when he thought pokemon plushes were dead pokemon. "Are you okay?"

"I..." N lowered his head, almost bashfully. "I had a bad dream."

White frowned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "You...you had a bad dream?"

"Yes." N's expression was tight from his nerves, and his clenched fists were trembling, as if he was reliving the memories. "I had a..a really terrible one." His body shuddered, and White instinctively touched his hand to calm him.

The brunette shifted uncomfortably on the bed. What did he come here for? Did he want to talk to her about it? Was the nightmare about her and he wanted to see if she was okay?

_I bet he had a nightmare about pokemon shaped crackers..._

"Well...N..." She hesitated, and twiddled her feet in the sheets. "What am I supposed to do about it?" She didn't mean to sound so outwardly blunt and cold, but what did he want? Comfort? "It's okay now. It was just a nightmare. What did you dream about?"

There was a lot of things she expected he might say, but what did come out of his mouth nearly made the poor girl topple out of her bed. "Can I sleep with you?"

"WHAT?!" She pushed herself onto her elbows and stared at him as if he had grown three heads. "N, are you insane?!"

A hurt look immediately flashed across his face and he lowered his head. Damn it! She had done it again, hadn't she? Why did she say that, knowing everything N had been called in his life? _Freak, defective, warped..._ Probably worse too.

"S-sorry, N. It slipped out."

"What slipped out of what?" N blinked. "Did something slip from your bed?"

White slapped her hand to her face with such force and sound that it startled several of her pokemon awake. "N...n-no. No, you can't sleep with me. Sorry."

The hopeful lilt in the green-haired teen's eyes faded as he nodded in disappointment and sadness. "Oh. Well, why not? You sleep with your pokemon."

"Why not?" White moaned and flopped back onto her bed. How was she supposed to explain the implications of sleeping with each other to him? He wouldn't understand it. He didn't see it like a normal person would, or how she did for that matter. Curse her gutter-head!

"Well...N, it's different when a...a man and a woman our age sleep in the same bed. It isn't considered normal, and can be thought to be...sensual."

"...What does 'sensual' mean?"

White ground her teeth together so hard she thought she might chip them. N was going to make her put a bullet through her head by the end of this week, she was sure of it. She didn't know what to say to make him understand, and there was no way_ in the name of sweet Arceus_ that she was going to explain the birds and the bees to a man two years older than her.

N just continued standing there, waiting for an explanation and rocking back and forth on his feet.

"..." Oh, what was the harm? There was no one to know about this, and it wasn't like there was any sexual element to this. Still, White said nothing and only sat there with a face redder than a tomato as she stiffly pulled back the blankets and let N into the bed.

The normally distant N that couldn't bear a human touch snuggled right into her as if she was one of his pokemon, and practically buried into her side. White pushed all awkward feelings out of her head and only concentrated on the trembling form curled into her. Whatever the nightmare had been had shaken him up badly.

Careful not to jostle N, White wriggled carefully back under her blankets and briefly glanced down at N. He had a smile of contentment on his face and the shaking had stopped.

The girl gazed mournfully down at N in heavy silence. Everyone, every child needed some form of human contact in a time of trial, and White was left thinking of all the time N was forced to be alone in a locked room all the nights he had a nightmare, and all the nights where he just needed the loving arms of another human to hold him. Seeing the peaceful smile on his face right now only broke her heart further.

Even though it was beneath herself and there was nothing she could do about the past, White still couldn't help the single tear that slid down her cheek.

* * *

"N, there's somewhere I want to take you."

"The city?"

"Like hell you're going back to the city."

N watched as White packed a few things and saddled them onto Amane. The Reshiram cooed excitedly and nuzzled her trainer. Whenever White packed things it meant they were going on another flight.

"Where then?" The teen blinked and screwed up his face as White pushed his hideous disguise back into his arms, and told him to put it on. "I hate this thing." But he hated the idea of being discovered by someone out for revenge even more.

"I know you do, but I promise as soon as we get to the destination you can take it off. Well, first I'll give you an okay when to take it off. If you take it off too soon it could mean big trouble." She smiled and helped him onto the pokemon's broad back. "Trust me, I think you might have fun today."

If it was anything like yesterday then N truly doubted that, but White had never steered him wrong before. It would be nice to get out of the castle. Cramped into a broken, crumbling structure with only a few surviving rooms could easily make a person stir crazy.

The two teens gripped tightly to the magnificent dragon's back as she fanned out her gorgeous wings and lifted into the sky. White grimaced from the sting of the sun in her eyes, and N pulled his own straw hat over her eyes for protection. "Oh, I've missed riding on a pokemon's back through the clouds." He smiled and shut his eyes. "It's only been these past few years that I've finally felt the sun and wind on my face to begin with..."

Stuffing a few crackers (non-pokemon shaped) into Amane's mouth, White looked back at the teen curiously. "Well N, what did happen to your Zekrom? I haven't seen it since I last saw you. Amane has been curious as well."

A placid and sad smile graced N's lips. "I gave Zekrom away." He could hear a soft _tink_ as White dropped her handful of crackers onto the dragon's back and gaped at him.

"You _gave away_ a legendary pokemon?" Sure N had a heart of gold, but would he really be stupid enough to give away a legendary pokemon? Who did he give it to, for that matter? She thought she was the only one he trusted.

"I did," N said quietly. "It was a sad moment, but also uplifting. I knew Zekrom would help someone else achieve their dreams. I loved Zekrom and cherished our two years together, but it was time to move on, so I gave him to Mei to guide and protect her."

"Mei..." White blinked. "The second hero of Unova?"

N nodded with a smile, reliving the memories. "She wasn't in any immediate danger—she didn't need a giant dragon to look after her, but it was also in thanks for what she selflessly did to save Unova. And..." A playful sparkle came to his teal eyes. "Every hero needs a powerful beast as a friend. Haven't you read storybooks?"

"Yeah," White laughed. "I have." She propped her chin up on her hands and looked at N expectantly, like a child waiting for a bedtime story. "So tell me about Mei. What made her seem so similar to me?"

N chuckled. "Besides the uncanny appearance? I almost thought she _was_ you at first, with just a different hairstyle." He stared off into the clouds, as if deep in thought. "Her love for pokemon was just as strong as yours, and she was the only one that understood me. She came to visit me a lot. She talked so much and usually about things I didn't even understand. I always just nodded along to be polite and wondered to myself what she was saying..."

At that, White had to burst out laughing as she recalled the fond memories of talking to N in the past, and trying to decipher what_ he_ was saying in his rambles. "I have no idea what that's like..."

"All in all, she was a nice companion," N finished with a smile. "A nice friend that made me feel like I wasn't alone. She informed me only a week ago that she was going to be traveling to Kanto to explore and challenge the gym leaders there." A hazed look came to N's eyes as he remembered their abrupt, but still heartfelt good-bye. "It felt weird not seeing her almost every day...but then I found you." He barely lifted his bashful eyes and shy little smile to her.

White felt her heart melt at those gentle eyes. She suddenly had the urge to pinch his cheeks...and she had no idea why. "So tell me about what _you_ did the past two years!"

N laughed. "You want me to relay everything that's happened to me in two years? It's quite a lot."

"We have time! This trip will take a while."

* * *

Amane landed in the middle of a grassy clearing, right by a lake and a few quaint little cottages. Slowly, N slipped off the pokemon's back and surveyed his surroundings. Everything looked so peaceful, and the atmosphere was so happy. Still, where there were houses there were people. N started getting a little nervous.

"This place seems familiar, even though I'm not sure if I've been here." He frowned, brows furrowing from behind his sunglasses.

"Well, I certainly have." White's eyes held this mischievous glint to them that made N sweat a little. Just what was she planning? Where were they?

"White..." Before the teen could finish his sentence, he suddenly found his arm gripped in her hand again as he was tugged through an open door. N shot the brunette a glare (even though she couldn't see it), and looked around in wonderment.

The house was a lot different than their castle (of course, anything that didn't look like a mess of crumbling bricks always seemed that way), and seemed to have an old, nostalgic tone to it. It was your typical, perfect little house decorated with ornaments and flowerpots. N looked over at the kitchen table, and almost fainted.

Although they were older, they were recognizable. From Bianca's longer, golden locks and Cheren's absence of glasses, the two years of separation was definitely evident.. It seemed surreal seeing them again when N remembered them to be young, bewildered teens. Now they were older, and wiser.

"White!" One thing was for sure, Bianca's childishness hadn't changed. The blonde squealed in joy and happily threw her arms around her friend, shaking her rapidly like a rag doll. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's you! I can't believe it!"

"Bianca!" White laughed, returning the hug with just as much enthusiasm. "I told you I was coming."

"Funny you didn't tell anyone else," N muttered to himself, staring down at his overalls. His eyes rose, and he almost yelped when they met Bianca's eager, and totally oblivious ones, just inches from his face.

"Oh, this is the friend you said you were going to bring!" she grinned. "Hi, I'm Bianca!" She held out her hand cheerfully.

N heaved a harsh sigh, flicked his straw hat off his bedhead, and lowered his glasses to look wearily at the shocked girl. "And my name is N, dear miss. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance...again." He gave a deep, gentlemen-bow. There was no point keeping the disguise on. Cheren would probably have seen through his rues anyway.

"Whoa." The blonde blinked. "Wow, I did not see that coming." She was oblivious to the entire room rolling their eyes. Shaking off the shock, she smiled at the timid teen. "Well, how have you been? Everyone thought you dropped off the face of the earth!"

"They probably want that," N muttered. He peered cautiously over Bianca's shoulder, trying to spot any I'm-about-to-violently-attack-you signs from Cheren. The two of them weren't exactly fond of each other, and N wasn't sure if he forgave him for the past. Cheren didn't like N, but he did respect him.

"Greetings, N," the male said coldly. His hands were folded under his chin and he gave the other teen a long, calculating stare. "It's been a while. I heard how you helped to save Kyerum from Ghetsis. I see you've finally found peace."

So far so good. He wasn't strangling him yet. "And I hear you're a gym leader now." N smiled. "Congratulations; you were always a strong trainer and I had hopes you'd go far." The two of them shared a smile and the tension in the room lessened.

"I know I should have told you where we were going," White said with a sheepish grin. She could still tell N was a little bit irritated. "But I knew you'd never agree to it if I did tell you." Her cyan eyes went owlish and innocent. "Are you mad at me?"

N gave her a deadpan look and situated himself in one of the chairs. Anyone could tell he didn't want to be here, but that was the point of this visit. White needed to get him accustomed to people and especially her friends if he was going to be in her life.

"Say N, could you do something for me?" N glanced up with uninterested, dull eyes, to see Bianca holding out a pokeball to him. "I recently caught this Squirtle in Kanto, and I want to know what it thinks of me. I've been trying my hardest."

The teen turned the pokeball in his hands and smoothed a hand over the surface. He hated pokeballs. He always had, and always would. A time ago, he always found encasing these beautiful creatures into a tiny capsule to be cruel, but now he knew better. He knew pokeballs weren't a prison, but he'd still never use them. If he could help it, his friends would always be free and at his side. Zoroark barely knew what a pokeball was.

After tossing the capsule, a flash of light appeared, and out popped a Squirtle. N smiled and got on his knees beside the young creature. It didn't baffle anyone when the turtle immediately crawled into the stranger's lap to be pet.

Standing up with the turtle in his arms, N turned to Bianca. "Your Squirtle is very fond of you, but he says he wishes you'd stop being so hard on yourself. He says over the simplest mistake, like spilling his water dish or seeming to pushy, you always back out. He wants you to know he cares about you and he doesn't want you to berate yourself. You're taking care of him well."

Bianca's eyes sparkled with joy as she took her reptile into her arms and hugged him tightly.

"What a peculiar gift you have," Cheren mused. "It must be fun being able to talk to your pokemon whenever you want."

N shrugged. "I release all my friends, so Zoroark is all I really have, but we have conversations often. He's very finicky about his food and always lets me know when there's something in it that he doesn't like." He smirked over at his dark pokemon, who seemed to give a frivolous pout.

"I don't understand it though," Cheren said, "You love pokemon and enjoy being with them, so why do you only have one?"

N shifted uncomfortably. "My way of thinking and perceiving the relationship of pokemon and people has changed, but I myself will always feel uncomfortable taking a pokemon from its habitat too long and keeping it with me. They do always seem sad to leave me though."

"That's because they love you," White pointed out, smiling warmly at N. "Pokemon are more than just pets and we are more than just their masters. We're friends and family, and we build a bond. The bond doesn't always form, but when it does it's hard to separate. In your case, the bond always forms and that's why releasing them is painful. They don't want to leave you."

N thought back to all the years when he let his friends go. He could recall the pain in his heart and the pain in their eyes when they departed. He remembered feeling the crumbling in his chest as a child, when a pokemon he had bonded with was taken to be released. So that's why they were always miserable to leave him... For so long N had no idea a pokemon could love its trainer, and it still baffled him that they could.

"We need to do some work on him a little," Bianca pointed out. "We need to shape him into a normal trainer."

N winced at the word 'normal', and White shot the blonde a hard glare.

"Whoops. What I mean is we need to have N catch a pokemon, and he needs to _keep_ it," Bianca amended. "The bond between a trainer and their pokemon is truly an amazing thing, and N will never have the chance to feel it if he keeps releasing them."

She grinned at White. "I have a great idea, but for it to work I'll need to keep him under my wing for a few hours."

Baffled, N checked the perplexed blonde over, but couldn't seem to find any wing. Did she mean her oddly styled hair? How was he supposed to fit under that?

White didn't look very sure, but Bianca's pleading expression was wearing at her resolve. If someone was there to watch N and _make sure he didn't go near any store_ it should be fine. After all, she still needed to find a new mattress and the next town was a perfect place to look.

"Alright, but watch him, Bianca. Trust me, the guy needs some supervision." She grinned impishly as N glared at her. "I have to go mattress shopping anyway. The next town should have some in store."

"Oh!" N piped up helpfully. "I'll come and help you carry the-"

"NO!" N blinked as White slammed a finger against his lips to shut him up. "No, no, no—you will not. You are not going within a _two mile radius_ of a mall ever again."

"You're mean."

"Call it mean, I call it protecting the lives of hundreds of innocent shoppers." She stretched her back and whined as it cracked. "I hope I find a good one. I haven't had a good night's sleep in almost a week."

"Really?" N piped curiously. "You were sleeping well when we slept together last night."

There was the sound of a heavy clatter as Bianca dropped a hot kettle of tea on the floor, and Cheren's _Mont Blanc_ fell of his fork with a plop. If anyone listened close enough, they could also hear the sound of White's mind snapping like a rubber band.

N just stared. "What?"

* * *

"What did I do wrong?!" N had been demanding an answer from White for almost ten minutes now, and she wouldn't answer him. He couldn't understand why everyone had reacted that way. He had slept in the same bed with White. He figured that would just comfort her as much as it comforted him. She seemed to like it last night.

Loading her bag back onto Amane, White turned and flashed N a livid glare. It faded the moment she saw the desperate look in his eyes, like a young child asking for forgiveness. Damn this guy! He was too cute to stay angry with.

"I know you didn't mean any harm by what you said," White sighed, "But a lot of people hear things very differently."

"How can you hear the same words differently? Do they hear different syllables?" Oh right, him and expressions.

It would be easier pulling teeth than it would be trying to explain things to N, so White only shook her head and hopped onto Amane. She looked down at N and smiled. "I'll be back in a while, as soon as I find a good mattress. In the meantime, I want you to take Bianca's training to heart and do whatever she says, even if you feel a little uncomfortable. Trust me, she has your best interests at heart."

N scowled as White and Amane took off into the sky. Training? He didn't need training! He was one of the strongest trainers in Unova. That wasn't conceit, it was just a fact! Everyone treated him like he was only a ten year old just starting out on their journey. What in all the regions could Bianca possibly have to offer that he'd be interested in or didn't already know?

"Oh, N!" Bianca sang. "Come over here for a moment!"

Turning, N saw her by a laid out picnic blanket, with pokeballs and berries spread out in front of her. N kicked at the dirt in annoyance and sighed. A day with White's friends wouldn't be too bad. At least they were tolerable. He had to admit, his interest was at least a little peaked in regards to what Bianca might teach him.

Sauntering over to the blanket, N took a seat. Within two seconds he was on his feet as Bianca pulled him up. He stared at her, his body tingling uncomfortably from the human contact.

"No, no! No sitting down for this lesson," she told him right away. N blinked as she handed him a pokeball. "Call your Zoroark over to you!"

Zoroark's ears perked up at his trainer's whistle, and his ears inadvertently pinned back in anger as he trudged over, none too pleased with being awoken from his nap.

"What's your bond with your Zoroark?" Bianca asked. She was tapping her pencil against her chin and holding a notepad like a therapist interviewing a patient. The glasses just added to that.

"Well, I love him," N said, "He's my best friend; I've known him since infancy, almost. We've always been together. We're like brothers. He's the only pokemon I've kept with me, because he's the first one I remember meeting. He always protected me, and we were raised together."

Bianca smiled warmly. "That's nice. Well, if you're that close to your Zoroark, I don't see why we can't get you bonded with another pokemon. Today, I'm going to train you on how to catch pokemon the..." She hesitated; she didn't want to say 'normal' again. "The trainer way. You've never really used a pokeball before, have you?"

"No," N answered, "I've never liked them, and I only use them if it's mandatory. It just seems so small, and unfair to the pokemon."

Bianca smiled. "It's easy to see why you feel that way, because when you look at them they are small, but the reality is that a pokeball supplies a pokemon with a paradise that suits its needs. It's very comfortable for the pokemon. Trust me, they won't come to any harm in it. So today, you are going to weaken a wild pokemon and catch it!"

N felt a wave of discomfort wash over him, but he remembered White's advice: Even if he felt uncomfortable, just try to do what she said. "What am I catching?"

"Whatever you want!"

Cautiously, the teen peered through the bushes behind the picnic blankets. Instantly, he could hear the chatters and coos of wild pokemon, although he was having trouble seeing any of them. They were hidden high up in the tree.

Wrinkling his nose, N pulled back and glowered at Bianca. "What's the matter with the way I make friends? I don't use violence, and they usually just come to me on their own."

Bianca frowned and gently settled a hand on N's shoulder, ignoring how he tensed at the touch. "N, it's wonderful that you can talk to pokemon and they're naturally attracted to you, but not all of them are going to be like that. One day you will get the odd one that won't be interested in being your friend. That's why we have pokemon; they can protect themselves and us, but we can't protect ourselves from wild pokemon if they decide to attack.

"So! Show me what your Zoroark can do. Find a pokemon and befriend it—our way."

This didn't seem like it would be the most fun, although N always did wonder what it was like to actually catch a pokemon with the traditional way. He was morbidly curious, as nervous as he was.

"There! Right there! A tranquil—get it!"

Bianca startled him out of his daze, and caused him to drop the pokeballs in a fumble to open them. He didn't understand the look she was giving him. Wasn't he supposed to open it? Oh, no...it opened on its _own._ He really was out of practice with 'the traditional way.'

The angered tranquil glared down with beady eyes as the pokeball rolled up to its feet. With a malicious squawk, it swung its tail into the hard capsule, and sent it like a flying fast-ball, straight into N's face.

Bianca and Cheren both winced as the ball collided into N like he was a bowling pin, and sent him tumbling onto his back. Hastily grabbing her medical kit, Bianca rushed over to inspect him for serious injuries (or possible brain damage).

Dazed and sore, N sat up as Bianca gently rubbed a medication onto his swelling jaw. His cheek had darkened several shades as it started to bruise. Wincing, N looked up at her through pained eyes.

"Well...that was good for a first attempt. Next time, don't roll the pokeball to them?" Bianca offered helpfully. N only glowered at her. "Here. Get up and try it again. Maybe go for a smaller pokemon this time?"

N was ready to go home. He wanted to just lay down in bed with Zoroark and forget today ever happened. Obeying Bianca's order, he stood back up, and tried to ignore the throbbing in his jaw.

Despite his love for pokemon, he half hoped he wouldn't see any—at least until his training session was done. Luck was not on his side though, it seemed, as a small Emolga crept its way out of the bushes. N slid his eyes shut in dread and turned to Bianca, hoping for some respite. Nope, she just waved him towards the electric squirrel.

"...Zoroark, night slash!"

The dark pokemon eagerly leaped five feet into the air and unleashed a powerful, colossal blast of purple energy that slammed into its target. The Emolga squeaked angrily and went flying back several feet. N could feel his heart pounding and heard Cheren and Bianca yelling different orders to him.

"Attack once more!"

"Catch it where it stands!"

N's head was spinning as he stood there, contemplating his options. Zoroark stood in a stance, his patience wearing thin with his trainer as N continued to stand there, frozen, and the Emolga started recuperating.

With a growl, Zoroark lightly, but still effectively, slashed his claws across the young squirrel, and sent it tumbling back into the tree. The Emolga hit the base of the trunk with a heavy thump and slid down it with a whine.

"Great job, N!" Bianca cheered. "Catch it! Throw a pokeball!"

Bianca and Cheren watched in puzzled concern as N made his way over to the tree, timidly holding the pokeball. Their worries were settled as N held out the pokeball. That is, up until he sat down next to the injured pokemon.

"Hello there," the teen said kindly as he smiled down at the sore, and rather livid pokemon. He held out the ball to the squirrel. "Would you like to become part of my team? We'd love to have you."

"Eeeennnnn!" Bianca wailed. Cheren only shook his head and turned away.

The Emolga glared daggers at the human, hardly able to believe he had the audacity to ask such a question. _How'd you like to have THIS?!_

Their heads turned, Bianca and Cheren both winced at the sudden, crackling sound of lightning and N and Zoroark's resulting yelps as they crashed back onto the ground. Bianca and Cheren stood there on the spot, brooding over their failure as they watched the two twitch and spark.

"Well," Cheren sighed, "At least he attacked the thing this time."

* * *

"There's really no reason to get disheartened, hun," Bianca said kindly as she poured the injured N a cup of berry tea. "I mean, there are many trainers whose first pokemon catching don't go so well."

"It's not my first," N retorted sharply. "I've had many friends with me in the past, I've just never resorted to throwing capsules at them to get them. I use trust."

Bianca and Cheren shared looks and gave a resigned sigh. "I guess the traditional 'trainer' way isn't right for everyone," Bianca said.

"Especially to someone who knows far more about the pokemon bond than we do," Cheren added. "So for now, let's just relax and have some lunch. It's a beautiful day."

N thought they'd never give up. With a relieved sigh, he settled back comfortably against the tree, and reached for a tart from the dessert plate. He blinked in confusion when his fingers only grazed a few crumbs. Staring at Bianca and Cheren for clarification, he noticed their eyes were glued to something beside the plate.

Sitting at the side of the picnic blanket, drenched in berry juice and covered in crumbs, was a notably tiny Rufflet licking its wings without a care in the world.

N blinked down at the chick, drawing back as the hungry little beast devoured the rest of the tarts in front of it as well. "H-hey, little guy." He smiled down at the baby pokemon. "Did you like the sweets?"

"A Rufflet," Bianca mused, "A much smaller one than usual. Must be a deformity; not even babies are that tiny."

"Rufflet!" the fluffball chirped, happily climbing up onto N's head and nuzzling into his tea-green locks. "Rufflet, ruff!"

Giggling up at the playful bird, N brought his tea cup to his lips and took a sip. To the utter amusement of the entire group, the chick mimicked his every movement with his tiny wings, even as N let out a satisfied 'aah.'

"It seems to have taken a liking to you, N," Cheren laughed, watching as both the teen and his copy-cat crossed their legs. "Although what pokemon doesn't?"

The hatchling confirmed it as he crawled into N's lap and cuddled right into his chest, beaming up at him with child-like, blue eyes.

"So what will you name it?" Bianca pressed.

N stopped for a moment to ponder, his finger wandering to his chin in thought. Copying the thoughtful eyes, the Rufflet tapped his fuzzy wing against his chin as well.

"Shadow," N laughed, "I think I'll name him Shadow." He beamed down at the chick and nuzzled his feathers. "Do you want to come with me, Shadow?"

"Rufflet, Ruff! Ruff, ruff!"

As the happy group went back to chatting and eating what was left of lunch, Bianca found herself zoning out as she watched N with his new little friend. The sparkle in his eyes, the true happiness—it was far different than the discomfort and tension she saw before when he was battling the wild pokemon. Suddenly, Bianca found nothing wrong with how N caught pokemon. All that mattered was that he was happy.

"Hey!" White called to the group as she dragged a large mattress behind her. "How did N's training go?"

Watching the Rufflet chew on N's hat, and listening to N's happy laughter, Bianca turned to her friend. "You know what? I think the way N obtains his pokemon is just fine..."

* * *

_(Whew, they seem to be getting longer and longer. Of course, when you're forced to stay in bed, writhing in pain from wisdom tooth surgery, there's not much else to do. The next chapter, I'm not sure how long it will be, but it is not a happy one. It is however an extreme advance in White and N's relationship, and for those of you that love sad fluff, you'll love that chapter. c:_

_I friggin love Rufflets. I think I'm gonna go catch me one right now.)  
_


	6. Broken

**Warning: this chapter is rated T for violence.**

* * *

"So what do you think?"

"What am I looking at?"

"N!" Laughing, White gave him a playful slap on the arm. At this point, N no longer flinched in fear when he was touched, and had grown accustomed to White's method of play. The light taps and flicks in the forehead were only meant to be fun.

"What do you mean what are you looking at? Can't you see everything I've done?"

"No. You're still covering my eyes."

"Oh!" Embarrassed, the girl immediately drew her hands away from his face with a flustered grin. "So?"

Bewildered, N stepped into his room and gazed in wonderment at all of White's renovations. His bedroom was actually a bedroom now; topped with a pokeball shaped dresser for his clothes, a mirror, and even a table with new ornaments. The highlight of the entire room, and what was really capturing N's attention was his lamp.

The spherical light bulb stretched up to the ceiling, and wrapped around it was a glow-in-the-dark mew decoration. The stand to the lamp was golden, with engraved patterns traveling all the way down to the base.

"Oh, White!" N gushed, speaking through the cracks of his fingers in awe as he took in every gorgeous detail of his new room. "White, it's...it's simply wonderful!" He turned to the girl, staring silently at her in appreciation. Never in his life had his heart felt so warm, so touched. He couldn't remember the last time he was ever shown such kindness.

"White, how could you afford all this? Furniture is expensive enough, but all the ornaments—the lamp! Why have you done this for me?" Although White could see the gratefulness in N's eyes, she could also see genuine confusion. It broke her heart to know such little kindness had been shown to him in his life that he wasn't even sure how to react to this.

"Why?" The brunette's own cheerful tone was hushed now, and more sentimental as she placed her hands on the bewildered N's shoulders. "I think it's about time you were shown some kindness, N. And it's definitely about time you have your own room where you're comfortable."

His teal eyes blinking rapidly, N held back his brimming tears and did something he thought he'd never do. He hugged her.

White's breath hitched in her throat as N's warm arms embraced her tightly. His soft strands of hair tickled her nose and smelled of pine cones and spices. White's face flushed a bright pink as she felt the warmth of his body and heart wash over her in waves. Before she could return the gesture, N pulled back in embarrassment.

"I—so-sorry," N quickly rushed out. He was staring down at his shoes, eyes regretful and guilty looking. "I thought humans do that to show appreciation to each other." White realized that with not returning the gesture in time, she had made him feel uncomfortable. Part of her wanted to quickly amend this by hugging him right now, but she knew that would make the tension worse.

"N-no, it's fine," White said with a soft smile. "You're right. Humans do show appreciation that way."

The room lapsed into an awkward silence, which was thankfully broken by the sudden squeals of Fuu as the Samorott came barreling into the room in a panic. White and N's heart skipped a beat, until they saw the reason for the water pokemon's distress. Shadow was attached to his tail, nipping and tugging at it without a care in the world.

White burst out laughing, despite her poor pokemon's desperation as he shook Shadow back and forth rapidly. "It's good to know your new friend is getting along well with the rest of the pokemon! There's no need to coax that one out of his shell."

N blinked. "Bird pokemon don't have shells, White. Do you mean feathers?" White only rolled her eyes at him and abruptly started dragging him toward his brand new bed.

"Ever jumped on a bed before, N?" White winced in mid-bounce when she realized what she had asked. No, of course he hadn't. N had slept on the floor his entire life, and carpet normally didn't have much elasticity.

"No, I never have," N responded. "I always envisioned what it might be like though, and recall seeing some sort of jumping contraptions I'd see people on during my travels with Zekrom. They weren't beds though, they were circular."

"Trampolines," White told him, emitting a bubbling giggle as she bounced onto her back. "But in my opinion, beds are much better, for the simple reason that we have pillows!"

N tilted his head at her, confused. "Pillows? We use that to sleep at night, and support our heads. How could the fact a bed has pillows possibly make it any better than a trampoline, when a bed is only made for humans to slee-"

He was cut off by something light and plush slamming into his face and bouncing into his lap. Rubbing his face, he stared down at the pillow, and then back to the mischievous White. With a rare, and playful glint in his eye, N hurled the pillow right back at her.

* * *

So this was what a real bed felt like. It had a lot more cushioning and comfort than N's worn out cot had. It certainly had a lot more comfort than his skateboard he slept on every night. During these two years, N had slept on many different beds, but none of which were very comfortable. Often he'd just make a bed out in the wilderness with moss, twigs, or sand.

On the rare occasion he got the privilege to sleep in a worn out cot at a Pokemon Center that stunk of medication and rubber, but he'd hardly call it comfortable. For the first time, N had his own bed, and he finally had the privilege and joy to call it his.

_So you finally have your own bed._ The teen looked up from his velvet pillows to see Zoroark smiling down at him. Being a pokemon, naturally Zoroark hadn't been picky about where he slept, but he knew humans possessed this un-natural need to sleep on a cushioned surface. Humans were so picky.

"A bed in which you're welcome to sleep in any time," N responded kindly, giggling as his best friend gave him a playful nudge. "That won't ever change, dear friend."

_This White girl seems to go to incredible lengths to ensure your happiness,_ Zoroark said, shooting N a knowing smirk. His friend, of course, remained oblivious to the look the pokemon was giving him.

"Because she's my friend?" N asked innocently. Zoroark shook his head. The kid was more naive than anyone the pokemon had ever met. "I think I should do something nice for White, but I'm unsure what. I can't cook, and White has forbidden me to go near another store."

_Oh N, you're letting your woman run you already..._

"Huh?"

_How about something like a bouquet of flowers?_ The Zoroark shrugged. From what he understood, human females seemed to appreciate weeds wrapped in pretty paper. Human customs were so peculiar. _Girls love flowers. I'm sure it would look good on her new bedside table._ The Zoroark squeaked as N abruptly yanked him towards him and hugged him happily.

"Zoroark, you're a genius! I'll get her some flowers! How can I thank you for this?"

_By not squeezing my organs out of my body!  
_

* * *

N wanted the flowers to be a surprise, but that was hard to accomplish when he seemed to spend every waking moment with White. She had insisted they tidy up the castle and make it more livable. N wasn't exactly opposed to that, but he needed to look for some flowers while it was still daylight.

"Five star hotels are going to be envious of this castle now!" White grinned. Gazing around at their refurnished home, N could only agree. They had tidied up the debris of rocks and rubble, and given the walls a few, new coats of paint. White had even hung up some pictures she had taken of her pokemon, family, and pictures of her and N.

"I wanted to plant some flowers outside of the castle, but I have a terrible green thumb," White sighed, not realizing how N's eyes were bulging out of his sockets. "It's more like a black thumb."

"You have a what?!" White stared as N grabbed and inspected her hand for this diseased appendage. With a loud laugh, she pulled her fingers out of his grasp and gently flicked his hat. "It's an expression, N. What it means is I love flowers, but I'm a terrible gardener."

"Oh." N relaxed. "You love flowers?" If he was a Herdier, his tail would be wagging. She loved flowers? His idea couldn't possibly be anymore perfect if he tried!

"N? Why are you grinning like that?" The teen snapped out of his daze and focused his eyes back on her. She was staring at him suspiciously, and N quickly wiped the smile off his face. He didn't want her catching on to his plan.

"Oh, it's nothing, White," he responded breezily. "I just...I'm happy with the way the castle looks, and...I deeply appreciate everything you've done for me." _And you have no idea how much I care about you._ The best part of this lie was that it wasn't a lie at all.

* * *

The grass plains outside Victory Road always looked so beautiful at night. The moonlight illuminated the grass and flowers, and made the small ponds scattered around sparkle, as if embedded with diamonds.

Night was always N's favorite time of day, for multiple reasons. The main one was that he got to be alone with his thoughts. This was especially true when he was the head of Plasma. Grunts pestered him every few minutes, as did Ghetsis. Even though he was trapped in one room most of his life, he'd hardly call it 'alone time'.

Toddling unsteadily on his tiny and wobbling feet was N's little Rufflet. White, her pokemon, and Zoroark were already dead asleep when N finally set out to get White some beautiful flowers to wake up to the next morning. Shadow, however, was a different story. Like all tots are apt to do, the infant bird would not settle down at his designated bedtime. As far as N was concerned, that was fine. He could use some company and reveled at the idea of bonding with Shadow some more.

"I love night time," N said quietly, to the baby. "The shimmering moonlight, how it becomes so quiet... It's the perfect time to be with your thoughts, and a nice walk outside is just so soothing. It takes away whatever stress you may have. Come to think of it, I wonder if there are any night flowers?"

Anyone that knew N well enough knew that paying attention was vital to be able to talk to him at all once he really got going, but poor Shadow heard nothing but a jumbled ramble of excited chatter. He stared up at his owner blankly.

N laughed and lifted a foot to gently ruffle the chick's feathers. "Apologies. White tells me when I really start talking I could go for hours and it's hard to follow me." He chuckled as the baby bird climbed up his arm and perched happily on his shoulder.

"What flowers do you think I should get White? Near the pond there are quite a few, but she never told me her favorite types..." With a look of amusement, he turned to look at Shadow, who was tapping his talon against N's shoulder. "I know this is an unlikely question, but do you know anything about girls? Maybe your opinion will help."

Chirping, Shadow leaped off N's shoulder and landed in the patch of plush blossoms. He flapped his wings rapidly, creating 'flower angels'.

Endeared, N shook his head with a gentle smile. "I love all pokemon, but you honestly have to be the cutest of all the friends I've ever had." N was confused when the chick didn't turn to him. In fact, now sitting up, Shadow didn't seem to be moving at all. Had he offended him?

"Shadow?" Perplexed, N waved a hand in front of the pokemon, expecting him to wave back. When he didn't, N really became alarmed. It was then that N realized the baby Rufflet was staring over his shoulder, and that's when N heard the echoing footsteps.

Slowly, the teen turned, and he wished he hadn't. Standing in front of them, towering at lease three feet over him and seemingly hundreds over Shadow, was a gang of trainers.

Just their appearances alone pierced N with the archaic fear he only felt from his own father. The narrowed, wrathful eyes of the trainers glared at him with the intent of murder. It was only now that N realized he wasn't wearing his disguise; stupidly, thinking that he was safe at night, he didn't bring it.

"Well, look who it is..." one of the men rasped. "It's his royal highness..."

Forcing the fear out of his voice, N straightened and stepped protectively in front of Shadow to shield him from view. "I no longer go by that title. I am N, and N only. Team Plasma has long since disbanded and I no longer associate myself with it."

As if he hadn't even spoken, the man only sneered at him. "We've been waiting to meet the King. I've been wanting to have a talk with you for so long, about a certain pokemon you stole."

N's teal eyes softened and grew sympathetic. "I am truly sorry about that. Hope shouldn't be lost though, as I know a few kindred spirits that once belonged to Plasma are taking care of pokemon whose owners they cannot find. You should check the missing board."

A fist colliding with N's cheek—followed by a sudden strike in the shin sent him down to the hard pavement within seconds. Dazed, the teen watched as Shadow hurriedly scrambled toward him and hid behind his hair.

The venom had left the trainer's eyes, and was now replaced by an intense pain. "_Kindred spirits?_ Is that really what you call the sick _beasts_ that just left my Sewaddle to die?" Tears clung to the corners of his eyelids as he spoke. "They took him...He was sick, and they didn't do anything about it! They didn't give him any medical attention! They let him die! _You monsters just let him die!_"

Tears flooded into N's own eyes, the man's words breaking his heart. Not all of the grunts had been misguided souls; some had been truly tainted by Ghetsis's evil. N could recall the cold shock and rage he had felt when he had been informed one of the grunts had beaten a helpless Muna for its dream mist. There would always be soiled apples amongst the pure and clean.

Shadow wasn't sure what to make of this situation. N could tell the young pokemon was terrified, but its frightened eyes peeked out repetitively at the glowering eyes of the trainers staring down at him. Despite wanting to remain civil and collected, N would stop at nothing if these humans dared to touch Shadow.

But N couldn't blame these men for wanting to rip him apart. He couldn't blame them for wanting revenge. He had caused a lot of pain during his time as King, and had only corrupted the world further rather than remedy it. These trainers wouldn't listen to reason. They wouldn't understand he meant no harm.

"There is...nothing I can do to ease your pain." N said softly. "I know that. I know I can't go back and change what I've done. Please know that Plasma-we-I never meant to hurt anyone. I only wanted to create a world of equality for both pokemon and humans! I didn't mean to disturb the balance."

The grisly man was stalking closer now, and N backed away immediately, only to find himself bump into the front of a shoe from another one of the men. He was surrounded, and he knew now that he was fighting for his life. He wasn't physically strong, he couldn't protect himself from this gang, and the only one who could was not even two feet tall and was cowering at his feet.

"No, you're right. You're definitely right." N was surprised at how gentle the trainer's tone had become now, almost soothing and sympathetic sounding. Were they going to let him go? "You can't ease our pain."

Suddenly, one of the members seized N by his collar and gripped onto his throat. The pain shot up his face from where the man's nails dug in and pierced his flesh; not enough to cause critical injury, but enough to cause the pain to worsen every second.

"So we're going to make you feel true pain."

Through his gasping and occasional choking noises, N gave a shaky sneer. True pain? These imbeciles had no idea what he had gone through in his life. They didn't know how N was treated by his so called 'father' White only knew a fraction of the abuse N suffered at that man's hands. Whatever this gang was going to do would pale in comparison to everything he had been through before.

The first belt in the stomach winded him, but N could barely feel the pain register when he saw the two other members and realized it: They were going after Shadow.

Thrusting his head so violently out of the man's grasp he nearly snapped his own neck, N managed to scream in desperation. "No! NO! PLEASE, DON'T HURT HIM!" Tears built in his eyes, but a harsh slap across the face sent N tumbling down to the ground. Well that certainly took him back...

N's knees throbbed from where they had hit the ground, and only now did he feel the blinding stomach pain, but the courageous teen shakily rose onto all fours. Before he could get one step closer to Shadow, the steel toe of a boot harshly kicked him back. This time, N slammed into the side of the cave's rocky wall.

Everything seemed slower and calmer now. N's vision began to dim as his consciousness gradually began to die out. Before his vision went black completely, N caught a brief glimpse of a certain dirty, shaking ball of feathers standing protectively in front of him.

* * *

Everything felt cold. The ground beneath him was cold, the air was frigid and sliced through his wounds. N was cold. He was cold and wet, but he didn't remember it raining before. He slowly managed to open his eyes.

The first sight that greeted him was the luminous moon. It was comical how there was such a beautiful and calm sight amidst this pain and chaos. For a moment, N simply laid there, captivated by the moon, and only blankly staring up at into the night sky. It would have been so easy just to lay down and fall back asleep.

"Shadow..." With a strangled cry, the injured teen pushed himself up onto his bloody palms and looked around. He almost hoped he wouldn't find the chick, because he wasn't sure if his heart would be able to bear the condition its body was in, if it were alive at all.

There he was. There, slumped against a rock sticking out of the earth. The filthy and bloodstained little ball of feathers lay limp and motionless in a heap. N emitted a cry that didn't even sound human as he disregarded the agony of his injuries and stumbled over to Shadow.

"Shadow! SHADOW!"

He turned the baby Rufflet over in his arms, and sobbed in relief when his weak eyes opened a splint and his little beak turned up into a smile.

Gathering the withered ball of feathers in his arms, N bolted back to the castle. His body screamed for respite from its own cuts, gashes, and bruises, but N ignored its pleas to stop and just kept running.

* * *

White was startled awake by the sudden, thundering slam of the castle's new door as it shook the entire structure. Darting to her window, White groggily peered out for any signs of a thunderstorm, but the night sky was clear and her windowpane devoid of any raindrops.

That's when the chilling sound of whimpering and stumbling footsteps touched White's eardrums. She hurried to the door and called out. "N?"

Horrified, N froze in his tracks, before backing up like a frightened animal, and stumbling back into his old playroom. He couldn't let White see him! Her voice was getting closer, and N feebly backed himself up into a corner and cradled his injured friend as he started to sob.

He had let it happen again. He had failed to protect a pokemon from the hands of a monster. He had failed as a trainer, and as a friend. He didn't deserve to have pokemon. He was no better than those trainers. _He was a miserable failure_.

"N?" White whispered, barely peeking into his playroom.

"_GET AWAY FROM ME!_" The echoing screech resounded through the dark room, and the entire castle. He balled up as much as he could with the injured baby in his arms, and ducked his face into Shadow's feathers as the fearful brunette came near.

White had to fight with N to get his face out of his knees and Shadow's feathers. No amount of prying with her hands could succeed in separating his face from his pokemon.

"N, lift your head. Please? Please tell me what happened! I'm worried about you."

Finally, she managed to raise his head, and at this point it took little effort; he seemed to have given up. White cried out in horror at the state of both the distraught, filthy teen, and his pokemon. It was clear for multiple reasons why N didn't want to look at her. His face was a mess of blood, bruises, and tears. His pokemon wasn't faring much better. White inhaled a shaking gasp at the blood matted in the Rufflet's feathers.

"N...dear Arceus, what happened to you?" White could barely recognize her voice through her trembling. "N, please calm down!" He was inconsolable, trembling, crying into Shadow and weeping over his failure against whatever monster had attacked them. Even though there was nothing definitive to say who their attacker was, White had a feeling it was no pokemon.

"I couldn't...I couldn't protect him, White," N hiccuped out. "I couldn't protect him...again! I-I couldn't save my friend! I let my friend...be hurt! I let it happen again!"

Now White knew it was a human that attacked them, and the reason for this breakdown was clear. After ages, after being lulled into a sense of security and being at peace with trainers, they had betrayed him. A pokemon being abused was N's worst nightmare, and probably brought back a torrent of unwanted memories. White felt sick. They had all convinced N that his fears were irrational and they failed him like this.

With nothing to say, White only wrapped her arms around the broken boy. He practically fell against her chest, and she leaned back against the wall, rocking him back and forth. The tortured sobs that tore from N's throat felt like they were dragging White deeper into her own personal hell. Even with the shaking teen's face buried into her nightgown, it didn't muffle the haunting noises as N whimpered and mewled like a wounded animal.

Even with the blood, bruises, and pain inflicted at the hands of the trainers, White felt like this was entirely her fault. She was the one to tell him that trainers didn't harm pokemon. She was the one to convince N that there was nothing to fear. It was _she_ that provided him with the comforting thoughts that pokemon were safe with humans. She was the one that had shattered him like this.

The brunette's chest swelled with her own sobs, but for the sake of the broken boy and the injured chick, she needed to be strong. Running her fingers through his damp bangs in a motherly gesture, she softly whispered to him.

"N...what-what were you doing out of the castle so late?"

Watery, child-like eyes gazed up at her and broke her heart. "I-I...I-hic-wanted to get you some flowers."

Unable to hold back a sob, White stared down at him, covering her mouth. "What?"

"I wanted to g-get you some flowers," N managed to get out with a cough. "I-I wanted to thank you for everything you-you've done for me since you came here." His face seemed to twist in agony as the tears increased in volume. "I didn't know this would happen. I had no idea...they would be there!"

White finally started to abashedly cry. He had gone through all this because he wanted to get her some flowers.

At this point, Shadow's blue eyes cracked open slightly, and he gazed mournfully up at his trainer, wincing as every tear drop hit his head. Weakly, chirping at the pain it caused, Shadow still stood up and stretched his head enough to gently, and almost playfully peck at N's cheek.

Raising his head from White's drenched nightgown, N gazed down at his little companion, who smiled up at him, and embraced him, cuddling him up to his face.

There were only a few moments of sobbing before it was clear that both the injured N and Shadow had cried themselves to sleep. White gazed down lovingly at the two boys as they curled up peacefully into her chest. Their erratic breathing had slowly regulated and become more calm over the past few minutes.

White took this time to tend to their wounds. Awoken by the commotion, Zoroark had fetched her a medical kit from their new cabinet, and White spent the next few minutes treating the injuries. N and Shadow whined and fidgeted in their sleep, but thankfully didn't wake up. Bandaging the last of the cuts and gashes, White set down the kit. She rested her hand against the sleeping Zoroark's back, and barely shifted to a more comfortable position.

N's hand subconsciously gripped her own as he unconsciously mumbled, "Don't...leave..."

Even though his request had been unconscious and unaware, White's response couldn't possibly be more aware and meaningful. "I'll never leave..."

Her back throbbed as she leaned up against the stiff wall, but for the first time, White didn't care how she slept that night.

* * *

(_I warned you it would be very sad. Poor N...I always wondered how he would react to seeing a pokemon-least of all, his own-injured by the hands of a human, after being told the likelihood of abuse was slim._

_Anyway, read and review. This is probably one of my best chapters yet._

_Next (a very happy and fluffy chapter) __"Break The Eggshells"; White is tired of N walking on eggshells around her out of fear he'll get her mad at him for something, so she devises a plan to loosen N up a little.)_  



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